The Megaman Series? Can someone explain what I am missing?

So I decided to check out the Megaman series, but there is like 10 different games. Can someone explain this series to me? What should I be looking at? The NES versions, the SNES versions, the PSX Versions? The Nintendo DS Versions?

Story-wise, the series starts with the original games on NES (and later PSN/XBox Arcade via Megaman 9 and 10) and goes into the X and Zero series. More on this later.

The GBA games are from the Battle Network series (where my name here comes from!) and are a separate universe than the console games (except for the Zero series, as previously noted). DS, IIRC those're the ZX games, which are supposed to take place after Zero 4.

Now for further story-wise, if you're looking to follow it, here's what you would play in order:

Megaman 1-10 (I'm not sure about 9/10, never played them but don't know if they're not considered part of the X/Zero canon)

Megaman X1-5

Megaman Zero 1-4

Megaman ZX + Advent

Megaman Legends series (PSX series, it's also strongly implied this takes place after the last ZX game, making Megaman connected across untold centuries in-universe and over 15 years real-time)

Gameplay wise, Megaman, Megaman X, Zero, ZX are all the standard platformer-based gameplay ala Super Mario and many others. The original series is also famous for often living upto the Trope Nintendo Hard. Do be careful, that's TV Tropes and all. We may never see you again.

Legends and Battle Network followed an RPG style of character progression and battle.

Megaman is also known for being one of the first, if not the first, series to employ a system of where you can take enemy weapons/skills and use them against them. As well as Zero 4 upping it where you could take any enemy weapon.

That's it for an introductory bit, please do ask if you have more questions! There's more

Most of the series follows a chronology, with some non-canon entry series.

The original NES series was Mega Man (Rockman in Japan). It took place in the 21st century. The series runs from Mega Man 1 to Mega Man 10, and most of the games were on the NES (but Mega Man 10 was a classic-style sequel that was recently released for WiiWare, PlayStation Network, and Xbox Live Arcade).

Mega Man was an android who was created by Dr. Light. When Dr. Wily (Light's partner/assistant) turned on Dr. Light and took control of his other robot creations. Mega Man (the only robot not stolen/corrupted by Wily) is then converted from a simple lab assistant robot to a battle android and is charged with saving the day. Mega Man fights his way against a series of robot masters, with the ability to take their power upon defeating them.

With the Mega Man X series, fast forward to the 22nd century, and Mega Man X (often simply referred to as "X") is discovered by archaeologist Dr. Cain as one of Dr. Light's final creations. The goal with X was to create a robot with true emotions and consciousness. As Mega Man X, you are charged with hunting and destroying Mavericks (evil, corrupted robots) alongside other hunters, like Zero and Sigma. Unfortunately, Sigma becomes corrupted by a virus and becomes the most powerful Maverick, and you must defeat him. Sigma is like Wily in that he's the re-occurring main villain in the Mega Man X series.

Mega Man Zero also received four entries on the GBA. It takes place even further in the future (100 years after the events of the Mega Man X series), in which you play as Zero. After waking from stasis, we learn that Sigma had defeated humanity, and X is nowhere to be found.

Other notable entries include Battle Network (which takes place inside of a digital world, non-canonical with the main series), Mega Man ZX (didn't play this one, apparently it takes place 200 years after Mega Man Zero, even!), Mega Man Star Force (200 years after the events of Battle Network), and Mega Man Legends (thousands of years after the original series, X, Zero, and ZX).

After waking from stasis, we learn that Sigma had defeated humanity, and X is nowhere to be found.

You sure about that? I was under the impression the Maverick Wars (main wars of X series) were ended with Sigma losing (iirc it wasn't expressly stated how, just that he did) then the Elf Wars started.

That prompted the usage of certain things appearing in Zero 2-4 that ended out the Zero arc, leading into ZX.

I only played parts of the Zero series. I went with what Wiki said on that, but then I found another article saying that Sigma lost. Sorry about the confusion there - it's definitely a series spoiler by knowing the ending of the X series in either case!

I highly recommend playing through as many as possible. Unrelatedly, I'd also recommend Zack Zero on PC if you want a Mega Man style platformer that hits all the right notes.